At the time of getting this book i was unable to download so unable to review. Ii'm not sure it would be amied at 'everyday' people as more people go out to eat than have dinner parties.
But can not comment as pervious comment.

This book is very user friendly. My teenage son uses it for recipes. They always turn out.

I have several of Rose Princes earlier books and was looking forward to this one but I have to say I am underwhelmed. There are a lot of recipes for things that I either already have multiple recipes for, or for which I have no need of a recipe - for example, roast potatoes, baked sliced potatoes, macaroni cheese, flageolet beans, braised lentils, chocolate mousse, apple crumble, apple tart, créme caramel, angel food cake using raspberries for a minor twist, a dressed up Victoria sponge cake. There is a decent selection of breads but again nothing that I haven't already got a recipe for.

The party section will be useful for those unused to catering for large numbers and will take some of the guesswork out of this. It offers a variety of events and menus, such as a summer lunch party for 8-12, Christmas lunch (either turkey or goose), a garden party, and an indoor picnic for 50-70 These 'complete' menus include dishes such as slow-roasted duck legs with spiced barley to which are added flat breads and cheese for the Persian feast; spiced poussins, coconut chilli chicken, dal for an Indian feast; a summertime feast of ceviche, mojitos & slow-cooked lamb shoulder. The garden party offers roast beetroot, seasonal frittatas, smoky aubergines, roast papers, courgette & fennel crush whilst the picnic is basically salmon, roast ham & salads.

There were a few recipes that I liked and will use again like the crispy potato cakes, lemon risotto, vegetable biriani prepared under a pastry crust, and the raspberry & hazelnut meringue & limoncello crepes.

Overall though, there just wasn't enough for me and I have better party/event cook books.

Beautifully photographed dinner party planning cookbook with delightful recipes that will send your dinner party's dinner over the top! I tried a few of the dessert recipes such as the Cocoa Almond Cake and the Apple Crumble! Outstanding! If you're looking for a dinner party cookbook, this one definitely fits the bill!

Great recipes for a dinner party, I would certainly purchase this book if I was doing a lot of entertaining.

I am ambivalent about this book. I cook a lot, and love entertaining, so I was hoping to find inspiration for great meals. Yet I came away from reading the book feeling disappointed. I was keen to try some individual recipes, but none of the combinations for dinners and parties really said “wow” to me. The photographs, which are often the spur to look more closely at a recipe, seemed in many cases to be dark and rather unappealing.
But it did strike me that this book could be a good wedding present for a novice cook – some good instructions and useful alternatives, peppered with comments to help avoid chaos.

Recipes to cook for your dinners and parties. These recipes will surely impress your guest......